PCI's "New Paradigm" Puts Association In Position To Capitalize On Opportunities, Says Whitburn

Seattle, WA - Gerald Whitburn, outgoing chairman of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) Board of Governors that the association has created a new paradigm for how a trade group and should work and that the organization is proving to be an effective advocate for insurers of all types and sizes in state and federal political arenas. Whitburn, president and chief executive officer of Church Mutual Insurance Company, made the remarks during the association's Annual Meeting here.

PCI's tackle the public policy issues facing the industry – terrorism insurance, natural disasters, and regulatory modernization – in creative and innovate ways. "PCI is an organization that anticipates change, faces the toughest challenges head on, and influences the outcome of debates on every level and in every forum – on Capitol Hill, in statehouses, and at the NAIC," said Whitburn. "We combine prudent and rational analysis – we don't tilt at windmills – with the knowledge of what it takes in terms of financial resources, political capital, and long-term commitment to win the day."

Whitburn reviewed a variety of the association's public policy accomplishments in 2006, from its work on modifying state regulation dealing with Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, to shaping the debate over the extension or replacement of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA), to enacting laws that streamline insurance regulation in a handful of states. He attributed PCI's success to three factors: a dedicated and hard-working Board of Governors, an engaged and diverse membership, and a committed and talented staff.

"Without these three elements in place it would be impossible for us to provide the quality and variety of services we offer members, and to have the impact on state and federal public policy issues that members demand from their association," said Whitburn. "We may find ourselves in a listening mode in the early stages of the next congressional session," said Whitburn. "We will have to focus on building relationships with new committee chairpersons and bringing newly elected lawmakers up to speed on our industry and our issues. But while a change in political power may change our advocacy strategies, it will not impact the free market principles on which they are built."

SOURCE: Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) and Board of Governors